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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26585914">Lonely Soul</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eridixm/pseuds/eridixm'>eridixm</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>haikyuu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Afterlife, Aliens, Anger, Angst, Blood, Bonding, Christmas, Coma, Death, Five Stages of Grief, Ghosts, Gifts, Godzilla - Freeform, Hospital, Love, M/M, Mild Language, Minor description of injury, Mourning, Snow, Sorry that I made everyone on seijoh an asshole, This is not happy at all, Volleyball, graveyard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:48:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,809</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26585914</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eridixm/pseuds/eridixm</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU where if you die and no one misses you, a random person in the world will be assigned to mourn for your loss as a replacement.</p><p>(AU idea from pinterest!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Toru Oikawa x Hajime Iwaizumi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Haikyuu Oneshots</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Lonely Soul</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I am truly sorry for writing this, I have no idea why I only get inspired to write angsty stuff.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was midday, the sky was serene and not a cloud was in sight. Beams from the burning sun flickered through the hospital window and onto the linen bedsheets. However, the bed which these covers rested upon was cold to the touch. The outline of a motionless body was apparent through the thin cotton, and the face was delicately covered. It was quiet, it had always been quiet in there. No visitors, just the occasional doctors coming to check up, which were now no longer needed.<br/><br/></p><p>A nurse from the ward passed by and stopped outside the room. She looked at the bed for a second and sighed heavily, almost in annoyance. Taking her gloved fingers, she clicked the door shut, causing her eyes to meet with a sign that was hanging from it. The name written on it meant nothing to her, so she didn’t dwell, she only removed it from the door for disposal. </p><p> </p><p>The room possessed a body that was now nameless to the ward. It’s not like they bothered to get to know them beforehand, anyways. They were just another careless and confidence-struck teenager that just happened to get unlucky. </p><hr/><p>The funeral commenced a few days after their demise. It wasn’t as traditional as everyone else’s, as in no one showed up except the workers in the graveyard. This meant that it only lasted briefly, and their casket was lowered into the muddy ground without a second glance. A terribly priced gravestone hovered over their plot, finally bearing a name that no nurse could toss away. Toru Oikawa. </p><hr/><p>On the other side of town was a group of teenage boys walking idly down a dimly lit street. They were wearing similar attire, perhaps a sports uniform, and chatting amongst themselves. In the centre of the huddle was a boy who a lot more built than the rest and only a tiny bit smaller than the average. He was listening intently to the strings of conversation floating around him with a blank expression on his face. One of his friends, who looked quite similar to him, noticed this, and politely called him upon it. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>“Hey, you good?” they asked, nudging him in the arm.</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>They raised their voice a lot more than they intended too, which caught the attention of the group. All of their eyes became fixated on the muscle bound boy, who had just snapped out of his thoughts.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>”Yeah, I’m fine, Matsu. Just feeling a bit tired from today’s practice.” he replied, shrugging his broad shoulders.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>Another friend with short light brown hair, called Makki, spoke up, ”I know what you mean, Coach really had it in for us today.” <br/><br/></p>
</blockquote><p>The boys all nodded in agreement and continued with their conversations the rest of the way home. <br/><br/></p><p>However, tiredness was not the reason for the boy’s unusual tendencies that day. Unbeknownst to him, the feelings that the friends and relatives of Toru Oikawa should’ve experienced from his death had been assigned to him instead. This boy was named Hajime Iwaizumi. </p><hr/><p>Iwaizumi bid goodbye to his fellow teammates and entered his house casually. Setting down his gym bag and removing his shoes, he then proceeded to his bedroom. With a flick of a switch, the room was engulfed in brightness, revealing his belongings. Iwaizumi huffed deeply and laid down on his bed with a thud, trying to come up with a conclusion to what he was feeling. <br/><br/></p><p>It was not as simple as sadness, he wished it was. Yet, there were other elements burning inside of him for God knows what reason. Anger and guilt were ones he could deduce easily. They had all hit him like a truck during break time at school a few days prior. Since that moment, Iwaizumi hadn’t felt a tinge of happiness from anything. Not even Volleyball, which would never usually fail to cheer him up, even though he had only recently joined the team.<br/><br/></p><p>He dragged his hands down his face in added frustration, scratching his skin with his nails slightly. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>“What is going on with me?” he whispered to himself. <br/><br/><br/></p>
</blockquote><p>Iwaizumi sat up and began to fish for his phone in his jacket pocket. Taking it out and unlocking it, he typed into the search engine. He listed all of his random feelings rapidly and tapped the search icon. Impatiently, he chose the first thing to come up. It was an article on lonely souls, which spiked his interest. Throughout the text, it stated that over the past few years more and more people had been experiencing the same things as Iwaizumi, for unknown reasons. According to researchers, those people had been assigned a ‘lonely soul’, which is a person who died and had no one to grieve for them. <br/><br/></p><p>He read the words on his screen with widened eyes, this couldn’t be it, right? The idea of it sounded ridiculous to him, as it would to any other person. Iwaizumi shook his head in disbelief and decided to research some other options.<br/><br/></p><p>After a while, it seemed like that article was the only one that matched his situation perfectly. The realisation that he had the burden of a stranger’s death on his shoulders made him uneasy. He needed to find out who they are...or were. </p><hr/><p>Iwaizumi went to school the next day without any sleep to back him up. All night he was tossing and turning in his bedsheets, wondering about what he could do to get rid of these feelings. They were gradually eating him up a lot quicker than he expected, which wasn’t going to help in his search. </p><hr/><p>It was time for Volleyball practice, the same as every school night. He entered the gym to see all of his friends already stretching on the shiny floor. The group greeted him with wide smiles and waves, Iwaizumi managed to stifle a fake grin in return. As he walked over to the bench where everyone’s belongings were, he heard one of the team members mention a new captain. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>He joined the group with his water bottle, “We’re getting a new captain?”</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Oh yeah, you didn’t know the last one did you?” Matsukawa questioned, Iwaziumi shook his head.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Yeah, good job too, he was an asshole.” Makki interrupted, rolling his eyes.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”What happened to him?” Iwaizumi asked hesitantly.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”He got injured badly in our last official match, the one before you came along, and he was put in a coma. He died a few days ago.” Matsukawa explained.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>He stiffened slightly at the cold tone in the way he talked, “Sorry, but why don’t you all seem sadder about that? You just said that he <em>died</em>?” <br/><br/></p>
  <p>“Like I said before, he was an asshole. He was overly confident and never listened to what anyone had to say. Toru Oikawa was his name, may he rest in anything but peace.” Makki chuckled and lifted himself off the ground.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Oh, right...” Iwaizumi mumbled, listening to the laughs of the other teams members.</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>A death that occurred a few days ago, someone who nobody seemed to mourn for...he fit the description. It was worth a try<em>.</em> </p><hr/><p>After practice, Iwaizumi decided to visit the nearby cemetery to find Oikawa’s gravestone. He clutched his gym bag handle tightly as he glared at the iron gates of the decrepit place. Sighing, he opened them up, rows and rows of gravestones became more clear in his vision. He began scanning the stones that looked a lot cleaner and stable than the rest, as much as he didn’t want to do this at all. <br/><br/></p><p>Half an hour went by, he was close to giving up and going home. But then, when his eyes landed on the back of one of the gravestones, he felt a sting in his chest. Iwaizumi clutched it with his free hand and winced through gritted teeth. He approached the gravestone cautiously and rotated to see the front. The words engraved upon it read ‘Toru Oikawa 1994-2012’, with nothing else. No heart warming, respectful quote underneath, just a name and a date. The text was bold and bland, if it had eyes it would have a piercing glare that went straight through him. Despite this, the plot still maintained a depressing aura. It was colourless and desolate, sticking out between the other gravestones that had actually been shown affection. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>“I guess the article was right then,” Iwaizumi said to the stone, “You’re my assigned ‘lonely soul’, Toru Oikawa, as absurd as that sounds.”</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>He stood in silence for a moment, “I’m not sure what to say...I’m sorry? I’m still trying to process all of this. It’s strange to think that we could’ve met if I’d had joined to club earlier on in the year. Apparently you were a really shitty person? That’s what everyone says. I don’t wanna believe that out of respect for the dead and all, but I guess if it wasn’t true then I wouldn’t be here.” <br/><br/><br/></p>
</blockquote><p>Iwaizumi lingered in front of the stone, half of himself longed to receive an answer, the other half wanted all of this to disappear. Of course, the dead couldn't talk, so silence was all that was returned to him. He let a sigh leave his chapped lips and slowly turned to leave the cemetery. </p><hr/><p>He turned the handle of his front door and swung it open, a warm breeze washed over his freezing skin. His parents welcomed him home like the usual and was asked on what he wanted for dinner. Iwaizumi wasn’t hungry for once, so he declined politely and retreated upstairs to his room. His mother pulled a puzzled expression at his unfamiliar reaction, but in the end put it down to fatigue. <br/><br/></p><p>Iwaizumi finally entered his bedroom and locked the door behind him. He dropped all of his belongings with a thud on the carpet and sauntered over to a mirror that was nailed on his wall, next to a Godzilla poster. He glared back at himself with furrowed eyebrows and a clenched jaw. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>“Why me? Why choose me?” he mumbled to himself.</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>His palms formed themselves into fists, his fingernails dug harshly into them as he kept repeating the same question in his mind. It was question, in fact, that he knew he’d never get the answer to, which made him even more aggravated. Iwaizumi felt his skin burning and the sensation spreading throughout his tensed body. Raising one of his fists, he plunged it violently into the mirror before him. He pulled back rapidly and winced at the contact, holding his shaky hand with the other. His eyes watched the blood pool out of the fresh cuts he’d just created and then looked back at the wall. The glass had been shattered into several pieces in a variety of sizes, now spread out on the carpet below. Iwaizumi could still catch a glimpse of himself through the distorted reflection. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>“Iwaizumi, are you okay up there?” called out his mother from the bottom of the staircase.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>He jumped and snapped his head around, “Yeah! I just dropped something is all!” he bellowed.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Oh, okay! Goodnight, honey!” she sang.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Goodnight!” Iwaizumi replied.</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>He let out a sigh of relief and dropped his arms at the side of him limply. He went over to his gym bag to retrieve his sports tape and started to bandage himself up before anyone came in. The shards of glass on the floor and the empty frame were discarded into his bin afterwards. Iwaizumi tucked himself into his warm bed and shut his eyes, desperate to return to his usual sleeping habits. </p><hr/><p>The digital alarm clock on the oak bedside table read 2:30AM in glowing red figures. For the past hour, Iwaizumi had been flicking his eyes back and forth to the device, hoping morning would arrive sooner. He had given up trying to sleep, his brain was too clouded with questions and thoughts about Oikawa. He stretched out his arm and grasped his phone that was also placed on the bedside table. With a click of a button, the screen shone vibrantly in his eyes, making them squeeze shut. Turning down the brightness briskly, Iwaizumi went to his trusty search engine once again. He typed in Oikawa’s full name, wondering if he had been important enough in his life to had appear on the internet or the news. Luckily, several headlines popped up about him, including the rest of the Aoba Johsai Volleyball team. Intrigued, Iwaizumi opened the first article and began to read. </p><hr/><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>“The Great King.” he chuckled to himself as he finished the last line of text. <br/><br/></p>
</blockquote><p>He finally switched off his phone and laid it down on the bedsheets to rest his aching arm from scrolling so much.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, his alarm began to beep in his ear. Iwaizumi looked at the face and it stared back it him, reading 7:00AM. It was time for school.</p><hr/><p>The school day went by quickly, soon only leaving Volleyball practice to attend. Iwaizumi shoved his hands in his trouser pockets and trudged down the hallway on his way to the gym. He lowered his head, he couldn’t bear to look at everyone’s happy faces. Someone, a person they had gone to school with and seen every day of their life had died, and nobody seemed fazed by it. At the end of the hallway were two girls, both unfamiliar to him, and they were gossiping.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>”No, no, I’m fine. I broke up with Oikawa, not the other way around. I couldn’t really care less to be honest.” cackled one of the girls.</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>This made Iwaizumi stop in his tracks beside them, the two girls looked at him with equally strange looks. He rotated towards the student who had spoke and went up to her. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>“Excuse me, are you talking about Toru Oikawa?” he questioned calmly.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Yeah, he was my ex.” the same girl snarled and flicked a piece of her hair behind her shoulder in a poor attempt to show confidence.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Right, so you’re telling me that you don’t care <em>at all</em> that he’s dead?” <br/><br/></p>
  <p>“Pfft, of course not. I only dated him because he was relatively cute and gave me a popular status. But I broke it off after a while, he was too obsessed with Volleyball, it was weird.” she explained, her friend snickered beside her. <br/><br/></p>
  <p>“He didn’t do anything nice for you while you were dating? Nothing at all? You don’t feel a little bit sad?” Iwaizumi pressured.</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>He was thinking that if he could get her to feel some remorse towards Oikawa, then maybe he would be set free of all of these emotions. It was a long shot, however, worth a try in his frantic mind.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>The girl shook her head, “Nothing I paid any attention to.”</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Who are you anyway? Why do you care?” her friend spoke up, crossing her arms.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>He stopped for a moment, “I’m nobody, and...I don’t. Sorry for wasting your time.”</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>With that, Iwaizumi retreated from the duo and went on his way to practice. He sunk his head lower than before, cursing on the inside for giving himself false hope. He’d just have to go through the pain, someone had to.</p><hr/><p>The breeze that evening was crispy. Whenever a breath broke free from his mouth it would be visible in the atmosphere, dancing around Iwaizumi’s figure as he walked to the graveyard. </p><p> </p><p>His stance turned limp when he stood before Oikawa’s lonely plot. It was the same as yesterday, only today frost was starting to form on the headstone due to the weather. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>“I’m back, Oikawa, my ‘lonely soul’,” Iwaizumi sighed, “I researched you earlier, pretty impressive. I’m not joking either, you were a really talented guy. We met our new team captain today. Even though I’ve only just met him, I can already tell that you were at a better skill level, based on all of your articles and news reports, of course.”</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>He moved his head to one end of the graveyard to the other and shook his head. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>“Why am I even here? Talking to your grave isn’t gonna make all of this go away.” he put his head back in frustration.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”It might not make it all go away, but it helps, doesn’t it not?” said a foreign voice.</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>Iwaizumi felt a shiver shoot up his stiff spine, he lifted his head back up to reveal someone sat on Oikawa’s gravestone. It was another teenage boy, he was fairly attractive and also...transparent?</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>“Who are you? And why do you look like that?” Iwaizumi questioned, trying to maintain his breathing.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Oh, so you can finally hear me! And see me! Who do you think?” the boy lowered his head to gesture towards the name on the stone he was perched on.<br/><br/></p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>“O-Oikawa? I thought you were...”<br/><br/></p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>”Dead? I am. I’m a ghost, hence why you can see through me. I thought you were smarter than this.” Oikawa gave a light chuckle.</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>He couldn’t think of anything to say, his mouth was left gaped open and his eyes were widening out of their sockets. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>“This has got to be a dream right?” Iwaizumi rubbed his eyes frantically, but the boy was still there when they reopened. </p>
  <p><br/>“Trust me, I wish this was all a dream myself.”<br/><br/></p>
  <p>“Oh god...I’m so sorry.” he exhaled, staring into the ghost’s empty eyes.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Don’t be.” Oikawa waved his hand to dismiss the condolence.</p>
</blockquote><p><br/>They both lingered in silence for a minute.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>”I didn’t mean to he such a shitty person to everyone, you know. I was caught up in improving myself that I never took the time out of my day to see how others were doing. Not even my own girlfriend, for God’s sake. I regret it, so <em>so</em> much.” the ghost sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”I knew it.” Iwaizumi admitted.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>Oikawa lifted his head up to match their gazes, “You...did?” </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>“Yeah. When hearing all of those horrible things about you when I first heard your name, I always had a feeling that there was something missing. I thought that nobody could be that heartless, and I was right.” he clarified.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Oh...thank you.” Oikawa formed a warm smile on his lips, as warm as a ghost could get, “I just wish everyone knew, but I was too late to realise my mistakes.”</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”I could let them know, if you’d like.” Iwaizumi suggested.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”What?”</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”I see everyone you did every day at school, I could just tell them what you’ve just told me. Maybe people would start to care if they knew the truth.” he shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn’t a big deal.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Do you really think they’d believe you? ‘Oh by the way, Toru Oikawa’s ghost told me yesterday that blah blah blah...’ No. You’d be labelled as a madman.” Oikawa laughed lightly. <br/><br/></p>
  <p>“Oh, right...” Iwaizumi huffed.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”I had my chance and I blew it. I don’t want you ruining your reputation trying to repair mine.” he demanded, pointing at him playfully.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”If you say so.” he lifted his arms up as if to surrender.</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>The two chuckled in synchronisation, it sounded like a cheerful harmony. However, it died down fairly quick. Iwaizumi looked up at the sky, it was nearly pitch black, then back at Oikawa. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>“I should head home, it’s getting late.” he insisted, sighing.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>“Oh ok, you sure you don’t wanna stay a bit longer?” Oikawa asked, his tone sounding slightly dissatisfied.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Sorry, my parents will be wondering where I am. I’ll be back tomorrow after school, though.” <br/><br/></p>
  <p>“I’ll be waiting, Iwa-chan!” he called, waving farewell.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”How do you know my name?” he knitted his bushy eyebrows together.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>”Well, as Aoba Johsai’s former captain I had to do research on every upcoming team member.” Oikawa replied, winking. </p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>Iwaizumi grinned while waving back and began to leave the graveyard. As much as he longed to look behind him, he was worried that the possibility of all of this being a dream was still there. He carried on walking. </p><hr/><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His body practically dragged itself up the staircase, he began feeling more and more heavy on his feet. The creaking of the wooden planks and scratching noise of his palm sliding against the banister started to become faded.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He finally reached his bedroom and slammed the door behind him, throwing his weight against it. Iwaizumi bit his bottom lip harshly, trying to hold back what was coming. He so desperately wanted to hit something, anything in sight, but he could only feel overwhelming sadness. He slapped his hands against his burning face and slid his back down the door, until he was hunched over on the carpet. Tiny beads of tears pooled in the corner of his eyes, soon trickling down his cheeks and down his neck. Iwaizumi wiped the streaks that were starting to stain, however, more just kept falling without his control. A shaky sigh emitted from his lungs and he rested his head on the door he was sat tightly against.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He finally knew the truth. The worst part was, he now wished he didn’t after wanting to for so long. He wished that Oikawa was a cold hearted asshole like everyone had said. It would’ve made this mourning more straightforward. It was going to make it so much more difficult for Iwaizumi to feel happy, now knowing that he was just a misunderstood boy. A misunderstood boy that he wished he could’ve met sooner and maybe could’ve become friends with, or more. It was time to admit it, he felt a connection with Oikawa.<br/></span>
</p><hr/><p class="p1">A few weeks went by and every day after school Iwaizumi would visit Oikawa. Occasionally on weekends too, if he wasn’t busy. They would talk about Volleyball practice that evening or anything interesting that had happened during the day. Oikawa would sometimes give Iwaizumi background information on what it was like to be ‘The Great King’ and he would listen intently. The duo bonded over their individual fascination with Aliens and Godzilla. Over time they built a relationship, just like normal teenagers. </p><hr/><p class="p1">It was Christmas Day. Iwaizumi straightened his beanie as he shivered in the freezing cold. He listened to the crunching of the snow below his winter boots and the chirping of the birds in the air while he strolled through the neighbourhood. Him and his family had already had Christmas dinner which meant that he now had some free time, so he decided to pay Oikawa another visit. <br/><br/></p><p class="p1">As soon as the icicle covered iron gates opened, he saw the boy’s ghost rise from the floor with a broad grin. When he felt Iwaizumi’s presence nearby, he stretched out his arm to wave at him. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p1">“Merry Christmas, Iwa-Chan!” he shouted, watching him walk closer and closer to the gravestone.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”Merry Christmas, Shitty-kawa.” he grinned.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”Hey! I told you to stop calling me that!” Oikawa pouted and folded his arms dramatically.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”Whatever, I brought you something.” <br/><br/></p>
  <p class="p1">“Oh, really? You didn’t have to!” the ghost quickly rid of his playful act.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">Iwaizumi pulled out his gift from his bag, it was a stuffed Alien toy, “To keep you company while I’m gone.”</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”It’s adorable! Thank you, Iwa-Chan! You can just place here.” Oikawa pointed to his designated spot.</p>
</blockquote><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">Iwaizumi nodded and walked up beside him with the Alien clutched in both of his gloved hands. He knelt down and carefully placed it on the base of the gravestone. As usual, Oikawa was sat crossed legged on top of the stone, so he watched from below. Lifting himself back up, the two met eyes. This was surprisingly the first time they’d been so close to each other. Iwaizumi stopped to look into the ghost’s eyes, they were bright white holes that pierced straight back at him. He felt a pit in his stomach, he wanted to know what his real eyes were like, how warm they felt when he found himself in their gaze. He’d never be able to experience that. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p1">“Is something wrong?” Oikawa spoke up, noticing the tension.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">Iwaizumi pulled back, “No, I’m fine.”</p>
</blockquote><p class="p1"><br/>He spun around on his heel and returned to his original spot, on the other side of the plot. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p1">“It’s strange how fast time goes by, isn’t it?” the ghost examined, admiring the sky.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”Yeah, I guess?” he shrugged his shoulders, also taking a glance at the view.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">Oikawa looked back down and at the boy, “It’s been at least two months since I died, I would say.”</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”Y-Yeah,” Iwaizumi cleared his throat at the sudden mention of it, “Can we talk about something else?”</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”And that’s probably the fifth time you’ve done that.” he probed, sighing.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">“Done what, Trashy-kawa?” he acted, adding in one of his nicknames to seem like he wasn’t.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”Whenever I mention that I’m dead, you wanna change the subject immediately.” Oikawa said.</p>
</blockquote><p class="p1"><br/>Iwaizumi sighed, he actually was smarter than he looked. He lowered his head and glared down at his neatly tied boots. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>“You’re getting too attached.” </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p class="p1">He snapped his head back up violently, “I am not!” <br/><br/></p>
</blockquote><p class="p1">When he studied the ghost, he saw his soft yet saddened expression. He didn’t want this either, yelling wasn’t going to create a better outcome.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p1">”Haven’t you realised? You finished mourning me ages ago, you just haven’t accepted the reality yet. It’s the last stage and you’ve been dragging it on for a while now.” Oikawa stated.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”Dragging it on? You’re saying you haven’t enjoyed spending time together? You’re saying you don’t feel something too?” Iwaizumi interrogated, waving his arms around.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”I never said that, please don’t twist my words.” the figure said, the hurt was evident in his tone.<br/><br/></p>
  <p class="p1">“So what are you saying?” </p>
</blockquote><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">For the first time, Oikawa removed himself from his preferred seat and sauntered towards Iwaizumi. They were now stood before each other, Iwaizumi suddenly became more relaxed.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p1">”I’m glad you were chosen to mourn for my death, Iwa-Chan. And I truly believe we would’ve been great together. I want to spend the rest of my afterlife with you, I do-“</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”Then do! Stop saying these things like it’s over!” he raised his voice slightly.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”It was over before we even met,” Oikawa maintained a soft tone, “You need to let me go.”</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">Iwaizumi reached his hand for the ghost’s cheek, “I don’t want to.”<br/><br/></p>
</blockquote><p class="p1">His palm obviously didn’t make contact, and went straight through the boy. Tears started to bubble up inside him. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p1">“I promise that I’ll never forget you,” Iwaizumi sniffled, wiping his face with his jacket sleeve, “I’ll keep playing Volleyball and I’ll not let your hard work go to waste.”</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”Iwaizumi,” Oikawa called, causing them to meet eyes, “Thank you, for everything. For showing up, for being here with me.” </p>
  <p class="p1"><br/>“I love you, Toru Oikawa.” </p>
</blockquote><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">There, he finally uttered the forbidden words. Out of the blue. The ghost’s glowing pupils expanded when the sound of them hit his eardrums. He exhaled deeply, but he then gave a tiny grin.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p1">“I love you too.” Oikawa admitted.</p>
</blockquote><p class="p1"><br/>The reply was like music to Iwaizumi, he had imagined him saying it a million times over in his head, this was better than all of those. He returned the smile, the streaks of tears came to a halt almost immediately. <br/><br/></p><p class="p1">Suddenly, the feet of Oikawa’s ghost started to fade away. It both caught their attention, making Iwaizumi’s heart start to race.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p1">”What’s happening?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”If you love me, you’ll let me go.” Oikawa now reached out for Iwaizumi’s cheek, no contact.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”This isn’t the end. I’ll see you again one day and we can be together, I promise.” he nodded frequently.</p>
  <p class="p1"> </p>
  <p class="p1">”I’ll be waiting,” the figure gave a wide smile, “I love you, Iwa-Chan.” </p>
</blockquote><p class="p1"><br/>His body had now dissolved up until his neck, nothing but a floating head before him. Iwaizumi didn’t want to start crying again for his sake, so he just simpered back to him.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p1">”I love you too, Trashy-kawa.” </p>
</blockquote><p class="p1"><br/>With that, Oikawa disappeared into the cold winter air. It only took a second until Iwaizumi was stood desolate, like nobody was there in the first place. Droplets of snow started to fall elegantly and more frequently from the sky, landing on his jacket and his scorching skin. He gazed at the length of the empty graveyard as it was about to be devoured with the freezing substance. His attention became fixated on Oikawa’s headstone and the Alien plush toy that was cozied up against it. A shaky breath flew out of Iwaizumi’s dry mouth, it was like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. However, it still felt like there was one clamping down on his heart. Would it ever go away was the new and true question. <br/><br/></p><p class="p1">Probably not.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">Maybe.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">Give it some time.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">Until they see each other again.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">Whenever that may be.</p>
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